Category World News

Israel’s top court delays Gaza press access ruling amid years-long ban

Israel’s Supreme Court has postponed a decision on whether to allow foreign journalists independent access to Gaza, in the latest delay of a legal battle that has stretched over a year.

The court granted the government until March 31 to respond to the petition filed by the Foreign Press Association, despite state attorneys failing to provide detailed justifications beyond citing security risks.

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The decision extends a policy that has barred foreign correspondents from entering Gaza to report on conditions there, unless reporters are prepared to embed with the Israeli army.

At the hearing on Wednesday, justices appeared frustrated with the government’s explanations for maintaining the blanket ban on independent press access, which has remained in place since Israel launched its genocidal war against the Palestinian people of Gaza following the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.

A ceasefire took effect in October 2025, though Israel has continued carrying out attacks, which have killed more than 400 people.

Justice Ruth Ronen rejected the state’s arguments, insisting that “it is not enough to cite ‘security risks’ without providing details” and noting there had been “a very significant change on the ground” since the ceasefire.

The FPA’s legal team was barred from attending or accessing the material presented to the judges.

The FPA, which represents 370 journalists from 130 media outlets, said it was “deeply disappointed that the Israeli Supreme Court has once again postponed ruling on our petition for free, independent press access to Gaza.”

“All the more concerning is that the court appears to have been swayed by the state’s classified security arguments,” the FPA added, calling the closed-door process one that “offers no opportunity for us to rebut these arguments and clears the way for the continued arbitrary and open-ended closure of Gaza to foreign journalists.”

This marks the ninth extension granted to the government since the petition was filed in September 2024.

Just days earlier, on January 25, Israel extended its shutdown of Al Jazeera’s operations for another 90 days, citing national security threats the network denies.

US plan for Gaza demilitarisation

The postponement comes as mediators continue to press for progress in the US-backed plan to end Israel’s war on Gaza.

At the UN Security Council, the United States said it had unveiled plans for an “internationally funded buyback” programme to disarm Hamas as part of Gaza’s demilitarisation, which is a key element in the second phase of the US-backed plan.

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the Security Council on Wednesday that “international, independent monitors will supervise a process of demilitarisation of Gaza to include placing weapons permanently beyond use through an agreed process of decommissioning”, supported by the buyback scheme.

Hamas still controls just under half of the territory in Gaza beyond the Yellow Line, where Israeli forces remain present.

The second phase of the US plan will also require the Israeli army to withdraw, though Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said demilitarisation would have to come before any further progress on the ceasefire.

France says will support EU designation of Iran’s IRGC as ‘terrorist’ group

France has said it supports the European Union’s push to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organisation”, reversing earlier opposition to the move.

In a statement shared on social media on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot appeared to link the planned designation to the Iranian authorities’ recent crackdown on antigovernment protests across the country.

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“The unbearable repression of the Iranian people’s peaceful uprising cannot go unanswered. Their extraordinary courage in the face of the violence that has been unleashed upon them cannot be in vain,” Barrot wrote on X.

“With our European partners, we will take action tomorrow in Brussels against those responsible for these atrocities. They will be banned from European territory and their assets will be frozen,” he said.

“France will support the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the European list of terrorist organisations.”

EU foreign ministers are meeting on Thursday in Brussels, where they are expected to sign off on the new sanctions against the IRGC.

The move, being led by Italy, is likely to be approved politically, although it needs unanimity among the bloc’s 27 member-states.

Established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the IRGC is a branch of the country’s military that answers directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

It oversees the Iranian missile and nuclear programmes and plays a central role in Iran’s defence as well as its foreign operations and influence in the wider region.

While some EU member countries have previously pushed for the IRGC to be added to the EU’s “terrorist” list, others, led by France, have been more cautious.

They feared such a move could lead to a complete break in ties with Iran, impacting diplomatic missions, and also hurting negotiations to release European citizens held in Iranian prisons.

Paris has been especially worried about the fate of two of its citizens currently living at the embassy in Tehran after being released from prison last year.

The push by the EU to sanction the IRGC comes amid global criticism of a crackdown on a wave of demonstrations in Iran, which broke out last month in response to soaring inflation and an economic crisis.

The United States-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it confirmed at least 6,221 deaths, including at least 5,858 protesters, linked to the weeks-long protest movement while it is investigating 12,904 others.

Iran’s government has put the death toll at 3,117, saying 2,427 were civilians and members of the country’s security forces and labelling the rest as “terrorists”.

Al Jazeera has been unable to independently verify these figures.

The protests also spurred renewed tensions between Iran and the US, as US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to launch an attack against the country in recent weeks.

Trump designated the IRGC as a “terrorist” group in 2019 during his first term in office.

Canada and Australia did the same in 2024 and in November of last year, respectively.

Colombian lawmaker among 15 missing in plane disappearance

Bogota, Colombia – Colombia’s Ministry of Transportation has confirmed that a flight carrying 15 passengers has crashed near the country’s eastern border with Venezuela, killing all 15 passengers on board.

“The country is in mourning,” the ministry wrote on Wednesday in a statement online.

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In a news conference, Transportation Minister Maria Fernanda Rojas offered her condolences to the families of those killed and assured the public that an investigation into the crash was ongoing.

“We know that this situation is complex for any family involved, and I want to give the message that, on the part of the state, we are doing all the necessary tasks, protocols and procedures to address the situation and deliver responsible information,” she said.

Much is still unknown about the circumstances surrounding the crash and its causes. But the death toll reportedly includes two crew members, a Colombian congressional representative, and a candidate running in the country’s upcoming elections.

The flight, operated by the government-run commercial airline Satena, was en route from Cucuta to Ocana, two cities in the North Santander department bordering Venezuela, when it left radar coverage.

Local air traffic control sources say the plane’s flight history shows a sudden altitude drop 11 minutes before it was expected to land in Ocana.

Earlier in the day, Rojas wrote in a social media post on X that the accident investigation directorate of the Civil Aeronautics Authority was “gathering information regarding the loss of communication from aircraft HK4709”.

“The corresponding protocols have been activated, and we have already initiated PMU,” added Rojas, referring to the “Unified Command Post” set up to respond to emergencies.

The plane disappeared in a remote region characterised by dense jungle, complicating search-and-rescue efforts.

Among the passengers was Diogenes Quintero, a lower house lawmaker who holds a seat specially reserved for conflict victims. He was accompanied by ​​Carlos Salcedo Salazar, a candidate running for the same seat.

A local government official, who requested anonymity since they were not authorised to speak to the press, told Al Jazeera that authorities suspected that the plane had been affected by adverse weather conditions.

Drug trade

The Catatumbo region is also an active conflict zone and is home to the world’s largest cultivations of coca, the plant which produces the raw ingredient used to make cocaine.

Both the drug trade and the region’s strategic location on the Venezuelan border have made it a historic hotbed for armed conflict between rebel groups.

In January last year, violent clashes between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and Frente 33, a dissident group of the demobilised FARC fighters, displaced more than 50,000 people in the region.

Trump yanks permitting process from Democrats after California fires

They were among the most costly wildfires in United States history, ravaging the densely populated metropolis of Los Angeles in southern California.

But almost a year after they were contained, the Eaton and Palisades fires are back in the headlines, as the administration of President Donald Trump seeks to wrest control of the rebuilding effort.

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On Wednesday, at a speech in Washington, DC, Trump indicated he would appoint Lee Zeldin, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to take over the permitting process for home construction.

“I haven’t told this to Lee Zeldin yet, but I’m going to put you in charge of getting permits. I think we’re going to override the local authorities,” Trump told the EPA chief from the stage.

But that push has reignited tensions with state and local Democrats in California, who accuse Trump of seeking to shift attention away from the lack of federal aid for recovery efforts.

The southern California fires were the first major natural disaster to confront Trump’s second term. Erupting in early January 2025, they tore through more than 38,000 acres (15,378 hectares), whipped by the dry, gusting Santa Ana winds.

At least 16,000 buildings were destroyed. The official death toll placed the number of people killed at around 31, but academics at the University of Helsinki put the number of indirect deaths closer to 440, with people succumbing to conditions related to poor air quality, delayed medical care and mental health causes.

The cost of the damage has been estimated at $65bn, with some figures putting the economic losses even higher.

Critics have argued that the rebuilding process has been frustrating and slow. But politicians disagree over the cause.

Wildfires in 2025 burn homes in southern California
The Eaton Fire burns structures on January 8, 2025, in Altadena, California [File: Ethan Swope/AP Photo]

On Tuesday, Trump issued an executive order taking aim at the Democratic leaders who run California, including Governor Gavin Newsom, a likely contender for the presidency in 2028.

Accusing them of an “abject failure to rebuild” southern California, Trump announced he would be preempting state or local permitting processes. He also added that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would be investigating whether federal funds “were awarded arbitrarily, capriciously, or contrary to law”.

Trump used his public appearance on Wednesday — organised to boost his child savings account programme — to double down on his attacks.

“I went there a couple of days after the fire, met so many people on the streets. In many cases, they were fairly wealthy people, some very rich people. Some of the best houses in California burned down,” Trump told his audience.

The Republican president, whose fortune derives from his family’s real estate empire, proceeded to bemoan the slow pace of construction permitting, as well as California’s tendency to lean Democratic.

“It’s a national emergency,” Trump said. “What they’ve done to these people is horrible. It’s just horrible. And they’ll still vote Democrat. Can you believe it? After all, it’s just they get used to it.”

But Democratic leaders have fired back, questioning Trump’s motives and authority.

Previously, the two sides have clashed over Trump’s decision to send National Guard troops to southern California without Governor Newsom’s permission, with Democrats arguing that Trump’s efforts also represented an unconstitutional overreach of presidential authority.

In a statement to local media this week, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass emphasised her view that Trump had once again overstepped his bounds.

“The President has no authority over the local permitting process, but where he could actually be helpful is by providing the critical FEMA funding we have been asking for, by speeding up FEMA reimbursements, and by regulating the industries that he alone can impact,” the statement said.

Bass added that Trump could also be helpful by pushing insurance companies to compensate homeowners for their losses, as well as by encouraging banks to offer mortgage forgiveness and no-interest loans to survivors.

Gavin Newsom surrounded by cellphone cameras at Davos
California Governor Gavin Newsom attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 20 [Markus Schreiber/AP Photo]

Under Bass’s leadership, in January 2025, the city of Los Angeles suspended requirements under the California Coastal Act and California Environmental Quality Act to help speed up reconstruction efforts.

The city also ordered an expedited permit review process that required qualifying reviews to be completed within 30 days of a submitted application.

Still, as of Wednesday, a state website monitoring reconstruction efforts showed that just 2,981 permits had been approved between Los Angeles County, the city of Los Angeles and the nearby municipalities of Malibu and Pasadena. A total of 6,811 applications had been received, according to the site.

But residents have also complained about delays in federal assistance, particularly as Trump takes efforts to dismantle FEMA and limit its payouts to disaster survivors.

Some California wildfire survivors have reported that their FEMA payments only covered a small fraction of the damage the agency estimated for their properties.

Governor Newsom, a frequent target of Trump’s, seized upon those accusations this week to issue a missive on social media that both mocked the president and criticised his lack of support.

“The Feds need to release funding not take over local permit approval speed — the main obstacle is COMMUNITIES NOT HAVING THE MONEY TO REBUILD,” Newsom’s press office wrote.

“Mr. President, please actually help us. We are begging you. Release the federal disaster aid you’re withholding that will help communities rebuild their homes, schools, parks, and infrastructure.”

US Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady despite political pressure

The United States Federal Reserve is holding interest rates steady in its first rate decision of 2026.

Rates will remain at 3.5 to 3.75 percent, the Fed said on Wednesday, defying US President Donald Trump’s calls for more aggressive interest rate cuts.

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“The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated,” the central bank said in its release announcing the decision.

Wednesday’s decision was widely expected. CME FedWatch, a tool that tracks expectations for monetary policy, forecast a more than 97 percent chance that the central bank would hold rates steady.

The tracker also expects two rate cuts in 2026, with the highest probability for the first cut occurring in June at the earliest.

“Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace. Job gains have remained low, and the unemployment rate has shown some signs of stabilization,” the central bank said.

The decision comes amid signs of stabilisation in the US labour market. The US economy added 584,000 jobs in 2025, marking the lowest annual job growth since 2003. Payrolls rose by 64,000 jobs in October and 50,000 in December. While job growth remains weak, December’s figure represents a modest rebound from October, when the economy lost 105,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There are indications that the labour market may cool further in the months ahead. This week, both Amazon and UPS announced tens of thousands of job cuts, some of which were driven by a push towards increasing the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace.

Another threat to the US economy and the job market comes in the form of a looming government shutdown. That can happen as early as Saturday, and depending on its duration, it could slow spending as federal workers are temporarily left without paycheques.

Political tensions

The decision to hold interest rates steady comes despite Trump’s increased pressure on the central bank to cut rates. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has long stressed the Federal Reserve’s independence, and Wednesday’s decision is the first since Powell’s rebuke of a criminal Department of Justice investigation into him. The central bank chair, whose term expires in May, called the inquiry a “pretext” to pressure him.

“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” Powell said in remarks in early January in response to a subpoena.

On Wednesday, in the news conference that followed the rate decision, Powell, in response to a question on what advice he would give to his successor, said, “Stay out of elected politics.”

Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case examining whether Trump has the legal authority to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook amid allegations of mortgage fraud, a hearing that Powell attended in a more public show of support for Cook than he previously had. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had criticised Powell’s plans ahead of the hearing, calling it “political”.

In response to another question during the news conference on why he attended the court hearing, Powell said he thought it through and came to the conclusion that “that case is perhaps the most important legal case in Fed’s 113-year history, and I thought about it and went”. He added that Paul Volcker had gone to a Supreme Court hearing when Volcker was the Fed chair in the mid-1980s, “so it’s precedented, and I did it”.

Meanwhile, Fed Governor Stephan Miran’s term is set to expire this week. Trump picked Miran to temporarily fill the seat vacated by Adriana Kugler in August while seeking a more permanent replacement.

Miran was one of two central bank governors who voted to lower interest rates alongside Christopher Waller.

The developments come as Trump searches for a new Fed chair. He has explicitly called for further interest rate cuts and for a chairman who shares his views.

“Anybody that disagrees with me will never be the Fed Chairman!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social in December.

The political pressure has caught the attention of global central banks as well.

“The Federal Reserve is the biggest, most important central bank in the world, and we all need it to work well. A loss of independence of the Fed would affect us all,” Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said on Wednesday. Canada’s central bank held rates steady ahead of the US central bank’s decision.

Macklem was one of the central bank heads who earlier this month issued a joint statement backing Powell. Last September, Macklem said Trump’s attempts to pressure the Fed were starting to hit markets.